MERCURY Complaints

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK AROUND 9AM THE DRIVER SEAT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,000.

WHEN BRAKING IT JERKS AND SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE REEVES TO 5000+ RPM. AFTER BRAKING AND SLOWING IT AGAIN SHIFTS BACK INTO DRIVE. THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN BRAKING OR INCREASING SPEED. NO DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATE, INDICATING A PROBLEM. HAVING TO SLOW SUDDENLY IN TRAFFIC IS VERY DANGEROUS. A FORD DEALER RECOMMENDS A NEW TRANSMISSION AND A TRANSMISSION SHOP RECOMMENDS A NEW ELECTRONIC MODULE..THIS IS AN INTERMEDIATE INCIDENT PROBLEM OCCURRING APPROXIMATELY EVERY TWO TO FOUR WEEKS. .

THE WARNING LIGHTS HAD COME ON A FEW DAYS AGO STATING TO CHECK THE BRAKES. TODAY, WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED, THE MESSAGE STOP SAFELY NOW CAME ON. THIS DOES NOT TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT I NEED TO DO AND HOW CRITICAL THIS ERROR IS. CAN I DRIVE IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP OR SHOULD I HAVE IT TOWED? WHAT HAS TO BE REPLACED? THIS CAR IS DRIVEN BY MY SON WHO IS AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER, SO THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN.

WE GOT PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE AND THE POLICE NOTIFY US THAT THE EXTERIOR REAR LIGHTS WAS NOT WORKING AND COULD CAUSE A ACCIDENT AND IT'S A SAFETY HAZARD ISSUE SO WE HAD TO USE OUR EMERGENCY LIGHTS TO GET HOME AND THE POLICE HAD TO FOLLOW US HOME.....

DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON A CITY STREET, THE SPARK PLUG AND COIL SHOT OUT FROM THE #2 CYLINDER. A LARGE PERCUSSION BANGING SOUND EMITTED FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHICH WAS THE DETECTABLE EVIDENCE SOMETHING HAD JUST GONE DESPERATELY WRONG WITH THE ENGINE.

AS I WAS BACKING MY CAR OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, I HEARD A NOISE AND THEN A HISS. THEN THE CAR RESISTED FURTHER MOTION. THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT. I TRIED TO REINFLATE IT BUT COULD NOT. I REMOVED THE FRONT WHEEL AND MOUNTED THE MINI SPARE TIRE. THERE WAS A COMPLETE CIRCUMFERENTIAL TEAR OF THE TIRE SIDEWALL NEAR THE TREAD. I ASSUMED IT WAS A SPONTANEOUS FAILURE OF THE TIRE. WHEN I BOUGHT NEW TIRES TODAY AT COSTCO, THE MECHANIC SAID HE COULD NOT PUT THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL ON THE CAR BECAUSE A PIECE OF BROKEN SPRING WAS PROJECTING OUTBOARD AND HITTING THE SIDEWALL OF THE NEW TIRE. INSPECTION SHOWED THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING WAS ALSO BROKEN BUT THE POINTED END WAS AIMED INWARD. THE INFERIOR COIL WAS BROKEN OFF AND WAS LOOSE BUT COULD NOT BE EASILY REMOVED FROM THE STRUT. I TOLD THE MECHANIC TO REMOUNT THE MINI-SPARE ON THE RIGHT FRONT. UNTIL I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE THAT FOMOCO HAD PARTIALLY ADDRESSED YEARS AGO IN OTHER MODEL YEARS BUT NOT 2002. IT SEEMS THAT MANY OF THESE FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED AT REST OR SLOW SPEEDS, BUT I ALSO THINK THIS IS A FUNCTION OF THE FACT THAT CARS SIT MOST OF THEIR LIVES. THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL DAMAGE TO OWNERS FOR TIRES AND REPAIRS, BUT LUCKILY THERE HAVE BEEN NO SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURIES. BECAUSE THE FAILURES ARE SUDDEN AND CATASTROPHIC, THERE IS CERTAIN TO BE A SERIOUS AND PERHAPS FATAL INCIDENT IN THE FUTURE. FOMOCO AND THE US GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTING THE UNKNOWING AND TRUSTING PUBLIC TO THE RISKS OF LUCK, BECAUSE IT WILL EVENTUALLY TURN BAD. APPARENTLY FOMOCO DOES NOT CARE ENOUGH ABOUT ITS DRIVERS TO REPAIR THE DEFECT, OR MITIGATE THE DANGER AND DAMAGE, OR EVEN INFORM OWNERS OF THE DANGER. NHTSA ACT NOW, DO YOUR JOB, AND PROTECT US FROM THOSE WHO BUILD AUTOMOBILES, BUT DON'T CARE.

RUSTY BRAKE LINE FAILED. LEAKED BRAKE FLUID RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKING. ALL BRAKE LINES LOOK RUSTY. WHAT HAPPENED TO STAINLESS STEEL BRAKE LINES?

WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, CAR HAD BEEN DRIVING FINE, BUT WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I PROCEEDED MY CAR SUDDENLY HAD REDUCED POWER AND WOULD NOT DRIVE MORE THAN 40-45 MPH. NO LIGHTS OR ANYTHING CAME ON THE DASH THE FIRST TIME. THE SECOND TIME HOWEVER A YELLOW/ORANGE WRENCH LIGHT APPEARED. I GOT HOME AND PARKED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY BUT THEN THE FOLLOWING DAY THE PROBLEM STILL PROCEEDED AND I THEN LET IT SIT ALL WEEKEND. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY I TURNED IT ON TO TAKE TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THE CAR DROVE FINE THAT ENTIRE DAY. THE NEXT DAY, TUESDAY, WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IT HAPPENED AGAIN ONLY I COULDNT GO FASTER THAN 30MPH IN A 55 MPH ZONE. CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO SHOP AND DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE IN THE THROTTLE BODY. DURING THIS TIME OF REDUCED POWER FANS IN THE TRUNK SPACE GOT EXTREMELY LOUD AND BEGAN SUCKING IN AIR, AS IF TRYING TO COOL THE BATTERIES. NEEDLESS TO SAY FORD HAS BEEN NO HELP AND I CAN NOT GET TO WORK AS I CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE MY VEHICLE DUE TO THE LIMP HOME MODE ACTIVATING AND RANDOM TIMES. THE PRIOR INVESTIGATION INFURIATES ME TO SEE THEY EXTENDED A WATTANTY INSTEAD OF DOING RECALL BECAUSE NOW OWNERS LIKE MYSELF ARE STUCK NOT EVEN BEING ABLE TO GET TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO OPERATE.

NORMAL DRIVING WHEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION & THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON IN THE DASHBOARD. CAR WAS RUNNING BUT THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION & IDLED ROUGHLY. MECHANIC PUT A DIAGNOSTIC ON IT WHICH READ P2112 THROTTLE CONTROL ACTUATOR SYSTEM STUCK CLOSED. BINDING THROTTLE BODY STUCK CLOSED. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND THE INCIDENT WAS VERY SCARY SINCE I COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. THE CAR WOULD GO ABOUT 1MPH UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. WHEN THE CAR WAS LATER SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED, ACCELERATION RETURNED. THIS IS FRIGHTENING AS YOU DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT COULD HAPPEN AND COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.